Electric clock.



No. 657,694. Patented Sept. I900. G. FIGHTER.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

(Application filed Jan. 10, 1900) (N6 Model.)

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w III Wplneauw I UNITED STATES PATENT OFEic GEORGE FIGHTER, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,694, dated September 11, 1900.

Application filed January 10, 1900. Serial No. 973. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known thatI, GEORGE FIGHTER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Clocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of electric clocks which are actuated intermittent-1y by an electromagnet which gives the balancewheel an impulse whenever the oscillations of the latter become too short.

This invention consists, more specifically, in an improved means for closing the electric circuit which energizes the magnets at the desired time and an improved means for transmitting the impulse of the electromagnet to the balance-wheel shaft.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a front elevation of the portion of an electric clock which relates specifically to my invention, the parts being shown in the position which they assume at the instant that contact is made. Fig. 2 is aplan view of the same. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 show the contact device in some of the various positions assumed by it in the operation of the device. Fig. 7 shows a detail in cross-section of the pendant and the arm which con nects it to the shaft.

The balance-wheel 1 is made of sufficient weight to oscillate for a considerable length of time after it has been given an impetus and is supported on the vertical shaft 2. The hair-spring 3 is connected to said shaft, so that the balance-wheel will be caused to oscillate back and forth after it has been given an impetus in the usual way. Adjustably secured to the shaft 2 is an arm 4:, which is provided with a swinging pendant 5, which is pivoted at its upper end to said arm 4. This pendant 5 is preferably made of silver, platinum, or some other non-corrodible material which is a good conductor of electricity. A fiat spring 6, which is a good conductor of electricity, as well as resilient, is secured to the bindingpost 7, said binding-post '7 being connected to the hard-rubber block 8, said block being supported on a bracket 9, which is secured to the upright 10. The spring 6 is thus insulated from the frame of the clock. The front end of said spring 6 is turned upwardly and horizontally and then over and back horizontally in the opposite direction, so as to form a flat surface 6, having a straight front and rear edge. A wire spring 11 is also secured by the binding-screw 12 to the rubber block 8, said spring extending horizontally from the screw '12 to a coil and vertically to a point which is slightly above the horizontal surface 6 of the spring (3 and then horizontally in front of the outer end of spring 6 and for a distance equal to its width, said horizontal portion ll of the spring being normally a short distance from the end of the spring 6 and slightly higher than surface 6.

The shaft 2 is provided with an arm 18, which is in turn provided with an upright pin 14. An electromagnet 15 is supported on the upright 10 by a bracket 16. An armature 17 is supported on an arm 18, which is pivoted at one end to the bracket 16 by pivot-screws 16 and held away from the poles of the magnet by spring 22. The opposite end of said arm 18 has a lever or arm 19 pivoted in its forward end. One end of said lever 19 is held in engagement with the arm 18 by the spring 20, which bears against said end of lever 19 and is secured to arm 18. The opposite end of the lever 19 is provided with a fiat face 19, which is covered with a piece of rubber or other soft material 21. This face 19 is sb arranged that when the armature is thrown away from the magnet by the spring 22 it will be just outside of the path of the pin let. A battery B has one pole connected to the coil which passes around the electromagnet and has its opposite pole connected to the binding-screw 12. The opposite end of the electromagnet-coil is connected to the binding-post 7. The shaft 2 is provided with an arm 22, which is adapted to engage the lever 23 as the balance-wheel oscillates, said lever 23 being connected to the mechanism of the clock and driving the same in any wellknown way. This portion of the clock is not shown, as it forms no part of my invention.

The operation is as follows: The balancewheel being started, so that it moves back and forth, making nearly two revolutions in each direction, the pendant 5 will be drawn over the springs 6 and 11, it leavingone spring before it touches the other. Several of the posit-ions which it assumes in passing over the springs are illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. When the oscillations become too short, the end of the pendant 5 will not be drawn off from the flat surface 6, but will still be supported by said surface as the balance-wheel starts to return. The pendant will therefore not be reversed in inclination, as before, but will slide back on the surface 6 and will slide into engagement with the horizontal portion 11 of the spring 11, and at the same time will be in contact with the spring 6, suchposition being shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As the pendant engages both springs simultaneously it will make an electrical connection between said springs and complete the circuit through the electromagnet. As the balance-wheel contin ues to swing back the pendant will assume the vertical position shown in Fig. 5, forcing the spring 11 away from the spring 6, and as it moves still farther and is drawn from between said springs it will also lift the spring 6 slightly, as shown in Fig. 6. The pendant will then be drawn away from between the springs, allowing them to return to their normal position and break the circuit. The arm 13 and the pin 14 are adjusted so that when the circuit is completed and the electromagnets energized pin 14 will be directlyin front of the face 19 of the lever 19, in position to be instantly engaged by the latter as the armature is drawn to the magnet. As the are through which the face end 19 of the lever 19 would normally swing is different from that followed by the pin 14, the face 19 would become disengaged from pin 14 before the armature finished its stroke if it were not for the pivoted connection between lever 19 and arm 18. If to prevent such disengagement the face 19 were made wide enough to permit pin 14 to slide on the surface 19 a distance sufficieut to retain the two in engagement the desired length of time, there would be considerable loss of power by friction. By providing a pivotal connection between the armature-arm and lever 19 the face end of 19 is permitted to follow the path of pin 14, so that the force of the magnet will be exerted on the balance-wheel throughout the entire movement of the armature, and, moreover, this force will be exerted to the best possible advantage. As the end of arm 19 is provided with a rubber-covered face 21 there will be no liability of any slipping between the face and the pin 14 while they are in engagement, and, moreover, the blow caused by the lever striking the pin will be deadened,so that there will be no disagreeable noise caused by this action and the danger of injury to the bearing-points at the ends of shaft 2 will be lessened.

The principal objection to contact devices which have been previously invented is that pendant suspended thereon, two springs having ends which are supported adjacent to each other but out of contact and which are insulated from each other, a battery which is connected to said springs, an electromagnet in its circuit, a fiat surface adjacent to the end of one of said springs and arranged in the path of the pendant, said parts being arranged so that said pendant may be drawn over the ends of said springs in turn, and will simultaneously engage said ends, when the oscillations of the balance-wheel become too short and complete the circuit, and means actuated by said magnet for giving an impulse to said shaft.

2. An electric clock comprising an oscillating shaft and balance-wheel, a hair-spring, an arm extending from said shaft, a pendant pivotally suspended therefrom,a battery hav ing an electromagnet in its circuit, two contact-points in said circuit which are arranged adjacent to each other and in the path of the pendant and'make a break in the circuit, a surface adjacent to one of said points which will sustain said pendant as the pendant starts to return and cause the latter to simultaneously engage said contact points and complete the circuit, and means actuated by said magnet for simultaneously actuating said shaft.

3. An electric clock comprising an oscillating shaft, a balance-wheel, a hair-spring connected thereto, an arm extending from said shaft, an electromagnet, an armature, an arm extending therefrom, a spring-pressed lever pivoted to the outer end of said armaturearm, means for normally drawing said armature away from the poles of the magnet, and for holding said lever outside the path of the shaft-arm, means for energizing said magnet when the oscillations of the balance-wheel become too short, said parts being adjusted so that said pivoted arm will engage said shaftlever, and will be permitted to follow in the path of the latter when the magnets are energized.

4. An electric clock comprising an oscillating shaft, a balance-wheel, a hair-spring connected thereto, an arm extending from said shaft,an electromagnet,an armature,a springpressed lever pivoted thereto, a face on one end of said lever which is covered with a friction-packing, means for normally drawing the armature away from the end of the mag net and for holding said arm outside the path of the shaft-lever, means for energizing said In testimony whereof I have affixed my sigmagnet when the oscillations of the balancenature in presence of two witnesses. wheel become too short, said parts being adjusted so that the packing on the face of the 5 pivoted lever will engage said shaft-lever, and Witnesses:

will follow in the path of the latter When the LOUIS H. HARRIMAN, magnets are energized. M. 0. JA UITH.

GEORGE FIGHTER. 

